Biomass fuel simulation fireplace

ABSTRACT

A biomass fuel simulation fireplace having a body which is able to be placed on the ground. The body has a front simulation fireplace and an oven. The oven has a combustion cabinet and an auxiliary equipment cabinet. The combustion cabinet has a burner received therein. A heat exchange cabinet is above the burner. At least two rows of heat dissipation tubes are in the heat exchange cabinet, each row having at least two heat dissipation tubes. An upright cross wall is between each two the neighboring rows of heat dissipation tubes. The auxiliary equipment cabinet has a fuel supply mechanism and an electrical equipment received therein. The fuel supply mechanism has a hopper, a fuel tube and a rotary vane feeder. The electrical equipment has a heat dissipation air blower, a feeding motor, an air blower, a draft fan, a light source and a motor for the simulation fireplace, a power supply, and a switch.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a simulation fireplace using biomass fuel, andmore particularly, to a simulation fireplace having high heat exchangeratio and using fuel as granule made by smashed and then briquettedstraw, bits of wood, or crop stalks.

2. Description of Related Art

Biomass fuel is granule made by smashed and then briquetted straw, bitsof wood, or crop stalks. As a new energy solution, biomass fuel haswider and wider been used because it is hygienic, environmental, highefficient, and economic.

Simulation fireplaces are a common home appliance which is used for aroom decoration or warming as well. The simulation fireplaces being usedfor warming generally use electricity as power supply. However,electricity usually has a higher cost and a longer warm-up time. Ifbiomass fuel is chosen to be the power supply, main technical problemswill be how to fully complete heat exchange within a limit space of aconventional simulation fireplace and how to reduce a temperature of anexhausting gas to cut energy wastage. In conventional technology, heatexchange is mainly completed by a smoke vent. The only way to make afully heat exchange and to reduce the temperature of the exhausted gasis to increase a length of the smoke vent, which inevitably increases avolume of the fireplace.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The main object of the invention is to provide a biomass fuel simulationfireplace having a small volume and a high heat use ratio as well.

In order to accomplish the above objects, the present invention providesa biomass fuel simulation fireplace having a body which is able to beplaced on the ground. The body has a front simulation fireplace fordecoration and an oven for heat exchange. The oven has a combustioncabinet and an auxiliary equipment cabinet. The combustion cabinet has aburner received therein on a bottom thereof close to the ground. Theburner has a fire grate, a side wall extending upward from the firegrate, and an air supply zone below the fire grate. A burning zone isdefined above the fire grate by the side wall. A plurality of vent-holesis defined in the fire grate and the side wall. A heat exchange cabinetis above the burner, the heat exchange cabinet having a front sidefacing the simulation fireplace, a back side opposite to the front side,a bottom facing the ground, a top opposite to the bottom, a first side,and a second side opposite to the first side. A smoke entrance isdefined in the bottom right above the burner. A smoke exit is defined inthe first side. At least two rows of heat dissipation tubes are in theheat exchange cabinet running from the front side to the back side. Eachrow of heat dissipation tubes has at least two heat dissipation tubes.An upright cross wall is between each two neighboring rows of heatdissipation tubes. Each upright cross wall has an upright aperture, twoupright apertures of two neighboring upright cross walls being ofdifferent side. A rear air supply cabinet in communication with the heatdissipation tubes is on the back side of the heat exchange cabinet, anda front air supply cabinet in communication with the heat dissipationtubes being on the front side of the heat exchange cabinet. A heatdissipation air blower is for blowing into the rear air supply cabinet.The auxiliary equipment cabinet has a fuel supply mechanism and anelectrical equipment received therein. The fuel supply mechanism has ahopper, a fuel tube having one end in communication with the hopper anda free end extending into the burning zone, and a rotary vane feederrotatably received in the fuel tube. The electrical equipment has a heatdissipation air blower, a feeding motor for driving the rotary vanefeeder, an air blower for supplying air to the air supply zone of theburner, a draft fan in communication with the smoke exit in the firstside of the heat exchange cabinet, a light source and a motor for thesimulation fireplace, a power supply, and a switch.

The advantageous effects of the invention are that since the exist ofthe rows of heat dissipation tubes and level and upright cross wallswith level and upright apertures, a length of channel for smoke, i.e.channel for heat exchange, has been significantly increased in a limitedspace. Therefore, without increase of volume, or even with decrease ofvolume, heat exchange ratio of the oven is able to be increased andwaste of energy has been lowered.

These and other objectives, features, and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent from the following detailed description,the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of the preferred embodiment of abiomass fuel simulation fireplace of the invention.

FIG. 2 is another schematic perspective view of the fireplace shown inFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional plane view of the simulation fireplace shownin FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional plane view of an oven shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is another cross-sectional plane view of the oven shown in FIG.1.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a heat exchange cabinet of theoven shown in FIG. 5. And,

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram of an electrical equipment of the oven shownin FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is the preferred embodiment of the invention, abiomass fuel simulation fireplace. The biomass fuel simulation fireplacehas a body 1 which is able to be levelly placed on the ground. The body1 has a front simulation fireplace 2 for decoration and an oven 3 forheat exchange. Together with reference to FIG. 3, the simulationfireplace 2 has a housing 201, a light source 202 received in thehousing 201, a container-like fire curtain 203 fixed to the housing 201,a flame swaying mechanism 204, and a carbon bed 205. The flame swayingmechanism 204 is one or two shaft being covered by light reflectingstrips and driven by a motor 208. The fire curtain 203 has front wall206 and a rear wall 207 all of which are transparent. An inner surfaceof the front wall 206 is frosted. The carbon bed 205 has unglazed carbonblocks and simulation carbon blocks being mixed according to a certainratio. The unglazed carbon blocks are polyhedrons having lots of lightreflecting surfaces and simulation carbon blocks are translucent bodieshaving a look of natural carbon blocks. Simulation fireplace is aconventional skill which is disclosed in, for example, Chinese patent200910300478.1 “An Electrical Fireplace Having Flame Curtain” and U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/388,026 and will not be discussed indetail herein.

With reference to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 together, the oven 3 has a combustioncabinet 10 and an auxiliary equipment cabinet 20. The combustion cabinet10 has a burner 30 received therein on a bottom thereof close to theground. The burner 30 has a fire grate 31, a side wall 32 extendingupward from along a peripheral of the fire grate 31, and an air supplyzone 33 below the fire grate 31. A burning zone 34 is defined above thefire grate 31 by the side wall 32. A plurality of vent-holes 311 aredefined in the fire grate 31 and the side wall 32. A heat exchangecabinet 40 is provided above the burner 30 in the combustion cabinet 10.The heat exchange cabinet 40 has a front side 41 facing the simulationfireplace 2, a back side 42 opposite to the front side 41, a bottom 43facing the ground, a top 44 opposite to the bottom 43, a first side 45,and a second side 46 opposite to the first side 45. A smoke entrance 431is defined in the bottom 43 close to the second side 42 and right abovethe burner 30. A smoke exit 451 is defined in the first side 45. Atleast two rows of heat dissipation tubes 47 are provided in the heatexchange cabinet 40 running from the front side 41 to the back side 42.Each row of heat dissipation tubes 47 has at least two heat dissipationtubes 47. In the embodiment shown in the Figs., there are three rows ofheat dissipation tubes 47 and each row has three heat dissipation tubes47. There are totally nine dissipation tubes 47. The row of heatdissipation tubes 47 close to the second side 46 is the first row 471, arow of heat dissipation tubes 47 next to the first row is the second row472, and the row of heat dissipation tubes 47 close to the first side 45is the third row 473. An upright cross wall 48 is provided between eachtwo neighboring rows of heat dissipation tubes 47. The upright crosswall 48 between the first and the second rows 471, 472 is the firstupright cross wall 481. The upright cross wall 48 next to the firstupright cross wall 481 is the second upright cross wall 482. Eachupright cross wall 48 has an upright aperture 483 to either the top 44or the bottom 43. Two upright apertures 483 of two neighboring uprightcross walls 48 are of different side, i.e., one upright aperture 483 isof the top 44 side and a neighboring upright aperture 483 is of thebottom 43 side. At least two level cross walls 49 are provide betweentwo neighboring upright cross walls 48. Each level cross wall 4 has alevel aperture 491 to the upright cross wall 48 beside. Two levelapertures 491 of two neighboring level cross walls 49 are of differentside, i.e., one level aperture 491 is of one upright cross wall 48 sideand a neighboring level aperture 491 is of another neighboring uprightcross wall 48 side. As specifically shown in FIG. 4, a rear air supplycabinet 51 in communication with the heat dissipation tubes 47 isprovided on the back side 42 of the heat exchange cabinet 40, and afront air supply cabinet 52 in communication with the heat dissipationtubes 47 is provided on the front side 41 of the heat exchange cabinet40. A heat dissipation air blower 71 is provided for blowing into therear air supply cabinet 51. As the arrows shown in FIG. 4, air flowsfrom the heat dissipation air blower 71 and enters the front air supplycabinet 52 through the rear air supply cabinet 52 and each heatdissipation tubes 47. The air takes the heat of the heat dissipationtubes 47 away out of the combustion cabinet 10 through a heatdissipation opening 301 defined in the oven 3.

As shown in FIG. 5, the auxiliary equipment cabinet 20 has a fuelsupplier 60 and an electrical equipment 70 received therein. The fuelsupplier 60 has a hopper 61, a fuel tube 62 having one end incommunication with a lower outlet of the hopper 61 and a free endextending into the burning zone 34, and a rotary vane feeder 63rotatably received in the fuel tube 62. The electrical equipment 70, acircuit diagram thereof being shown in FIG. 7, has a heat dissipationair blower 71, a feeding motor 72 for driving the rotary vane feeder 63,an air blower 73 which is able to supply air to the air supply zone 33of the burner 30, a draft fan 74 in communication with the smoke exit451 in the first side 45 of the heat exchange cabinet 40, the lightsource 202, the motor 208, the power supply 75, a switch 76, and a powerlight 77. The power supply 75 may be an independent alternatingcurrent/direct current power supply 751, having or having not a storagebattery 752 in parallel as auxiliary. Either the alternatingcurrent/direct current power supply 751 or the storage battery 752 isable to supply power independently. The switch 76 is installed on theauxiliary equipment cabinet 20 and able to control the power supply ofwhole circuit. As specifically shown in FIG. 1, the power light 77 isalso installed on the body 1 near the switch 76 and used to indictstatus of power supply 76.

Fuel 80 is biomass fuel granule made by smashed and then briquettedstraw, bits of wood, or crop stalks.

In use, a user is able to first stably place the body 1 of the oven onthe ground where there is desirable and then load fuel 80 into thehopper 61. When the user turns on the switch 76, the power light 77turns up, indicating that the electrical circuit is closed and the oven3 starts to work. The feeding motor 72 starts to rotate, driving therotary vane feeder 63 to send the fuel 80 into the burner 30. Biomassfuel 80 granule falls onto the fire grate 31 under the gravity. The useris able to ignite the biomass fuel 80 in the burning zone 34 on the firegrate 31 with a burning paper or alcohol cotton ball. At this time, theair blower 73 starts to supply air to the air supply zone 33. Air entersthe burning zone 34 through the vent-holes 311 in the fire grate 31 andthe side wall 32 and provides oxygen for combustion of the fuel 80.Methane gas is generated in a process of burning of the fuel 80. Withair flow produced by the air blower 73, the methane gas burns intoflowing high temperature smoke. The high temperature smoke goes upwardfrom the burner 30 and enters the heat exchange cabinet 40 via the smokeentrance 431 at the bottom of the heat exchange cabinet 40. The hightemperature smoke finally goes out of the heat exchange cabinet 40 viathe smoke exit 451 in the first side 45 under a suction force from thedraft fan 71. As indicated by the arrows shown in FIG. 5, the smoke isonly able to flow unidirectionally through the staggered displacedupright apertures 483 and level apertures 491. In the process of theflow of the smoke, heat in the smoke will be absorbed completely by therows of heat dissipation tubes 47 and dissipates into an ambient air incommunication with an inner portion of the heat dissipation tubes 47.Heat exchange is thus being completed.

When the burning needs to be stopped, the user is able to turn off theswitch 76, and the power light 77 goes out. The feeding motor 72 stopsrotating, and the air blower 73 ceases. As there is no new supply offuel 80, the fuel 80 in the burning zone 34 will burn up in a very shorttime period. The user then is able to collect ash dropped from theburning 30. Outer region of the fire grate 31 may be oblique upward in acertain degree in order to form a central depression. The centraldepression is useful to gather fuel 80 together to avoid black smokecaused by insufficient burning of the outer region fuel 80.

From above description, it is seen that the objects of the presentinvention have been fully and effectively accomplished. Embodiment ofthe invention has been shown and described for the purposes ofillustrating the functional and structural principles of the presentinvention and is subject to change without departure from theinvention's principles. Therefore, this invention includes allmodifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the followingclaims.

1. A biomass fuel simulation fireplace comprising: a body (1) which isable to be placed on the ground, said body (1) having a front simulationfireplace (2) for decoration and an oven (3) for heat exchange, saidoven (3) having a combustion cabinet (10) and an auxiliary equipmentcabinet (20), said combustion cabinet (10) having a burner (30) receivedtherein on a bottom thereof close to said ground, said burner (30)having a fire grate (31), a side wall (32) extending upward from saidfire grate (31), and an air supply zone (33) below said tire grate (31),a burning zone (34) being defined above said fire grate (31) by saidside wall (32), a plurality of vent-holes (311) being defined in saidfire grate (31) and said side wall (32), a heat exchange cabinet (40)being above said burner (30), said heat exchange cabinet (40) having afront side (41) facing said simulation fireplace (2), a back side (42)opposite to said front side (41), a bottom (43) facing said ground, atop (44) opposite to said bottom (43), a first side (45), and a secondside (46) opposite to said first side (45), a smoke entrance (431) beingdefined in said bottom (43) right above said burner (30), a smoke exit(451) being defined in said first side (45), at least two rows of heatdissipation tubes (47) being in said heat exchange cabinet (40) runningfrom said front side (41) to said back side (42), each row of heatdissipation tubes (47) having at least two heat dissipation tubes (47),an upright cross wall (48) being between each two said neighboring rowsof heat dissipation tubes (47), each upright cross wall (48) having anupright aperture (483), two upright apertures (483) of two neighboringsaid upright cross walls (48) being of different side, a rear air supplycabinet (51) in communication with said heat dissipation tubes (47)being on said back side (42) of said heat exchange cabinet (40), and afront air supply cabinet (52) in communication with said healdissipation tubes (47) being on said front side (41) of said heatexchange cabinet (40), said auxiliary equipment cabinet (20) having afuel supply mechanism (60) and an electrical equipment (70) receivedtherein, said fuel supply mechanism (60) having a hopper (61), a fueltube (62) having one end in communication with said hopper (61) and afree end extending into said burning zone (34), and a rotary vane feeder(63) rotatably received in said fuel tube (62), and, said electricalequipment (70) having a heat dissipation air blower (71) being forblowing into said rear air supply cabinet (51), a feeding motor (72) fordriving said rotary vane feeder (63), an air blower (73) for supplyingair to said air supply zone (33) of said burner (30), a draft fan (74)in communication with said smoke exit (451) in said first side (45) ofsaid heat exchange cabinet (40), a light source (202) and a motor (208)for said simulation fireplace (2), a power supply (75), and a switch(76).
 2. The biomass fuel simulation fireplace as claimed in claim 1,wherein at least two level cross walls (49) are provide between twoneighboring said upright cross walls (48), each level cross wall (49)having a level aperture (491), and two level apertures (491) of twoneighboring said level cross walls (49) being of a different side.